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HONG KONG – A Chinese scientist said Wednesday that he was proud of his accomplishment of the world's first genetically modified baby . He is proud of his work and revealed that could have another pregnant volunteer as part of the investigation.
He Jiankui, badociate professor at the Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) in Shenzhen, China, in front of a room filled with about 700 people. Summit on the Human Genome Edition at the University of Hong Kong
"I am proud of this case," he said, interviewed by several of his colleagues at the conference.
When asked if there were any other pregnancies. Genetics published as part of their tests, he noted that there was another pregnancy "possible" and answered "yes" to a later question, whether it was a "chemical pregnancy" term is used for natural abortions in the first weeks of gestation .
It was not clear whether this pregnancy was over or not.
"This study was sent to a scientific journal for review," he said. scientist He did not name the newspaper and claimed that his university was not aware of his study.
In videos posted on the Internet this week, he said he used a gene-modifying technology called CRISPR-Cas9 to modify genes in the embryonic stage. twins born this month.
He said that gene modification would help protect girls from infection with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
However, scientists and the Chinese government denounced the work What he claims to have done and a hospital related to his research suggested that his ethical approval had been falsified
The moderator of the conference, Robin Lovell-Badge said that event organizers were not aware of the investigation until it was made public. this week.
CRISPR-Cas9 allows scientists to cut and paste DNA, so it is a technology that increases the hope of finding Solutions for diseases . However, the safety and ethics of its use raise concerns.
The Chinese Society of Cell Biology strongly condemned on Tuesday any application of gene editing on human embryos for reproductive purposes, and stated that this was against the law and laws in force. Medical ethics in China.
More than 100 scientists, mainly in China, said Tuesday in an open letter that the use of CRISPR-Cas9 technology to alter human embryo genes was dangerous and unjustified. "The Pandora's box has been opened," they said.
The scientist, who claimed to be against ameliorating genes, stated that eight couples had initially been enrolled for their study and that another had made a defection . The required criterion was that the father was HIV-positive and the mother HIV-negative.
He also said that all participants had a "good level of education" and that they had had two discussion talks with him and his team.
] The consent form given to couples mentions multiple risks, but there is little detail about the potential complications of the gene editing process itself, and it is not mentioned that such an experiment has never been done before.
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